Is Fancy Feast Really That Bad?

2rescuekitties

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So what I am wondering is one time someone told me that even the worst brand of wet cat food is healthier than the best quality dry food...

Is that true? My cats like dry kibble a lot, and I have tried so many of the expensive good quality wet foods but they pick at it. I know fancy feast has filler and by products but is it okay to feed them with that since they eat it? I don't know why but they go crazy for the gross gravy ones and even the shredded "meat" in it looks fake and I hate that they pick that over Instinct or wellness etc.

So my question is that is it okay to feed them a cheaper wet food if they prefer it? ir should I stick to the high quality dry food instead? (I currently feed them Nature's Instinct High protein dry food with the freeze dried chicken bits).
 

nansiludie

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Well, I feed Fancy Feast in rotation with Friskies and Special Kitty. I find Fancy Feast is the favorite. You could still feed some dry as snacks or as their breakfast then feed wet for supper. I've had too many males come down with urinary issues so its wet food only for us.
 

abyeb

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Fancy Feast is fine if they like it. It is grain-free, has meat as the first ingredient, and is carrageenan-free. You can also feed a combination of wet and dry food.
 

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I do feed a combination of wet and dry. Honestly its harder, and more expensive to find a good, low carb dry than wet food.
If they like the fancy feast, then feed them fancy feast :) mine get some of the classics, some of the grilled, and they like the newer one with a touch of milk. I would be cautious with gravy lovers, it is so low in calories. The others are not. I feed a rotation of different wet foods, so pick up a few other brands once in a while to see if they will expand their taste buds..lol.
But there is nothing wrong with feeding fancy feast. Instinct and wellness are two foods my guys wont eat either. They like most Weruva foods, tiki cat, against the grain, fussie cat, nutro minced chicken and sliced turkey, the nulo minced flavors, and the newer american journey wet foods from chewy. sometimes the merrick back country in the pouches. and sometimes the fancy feast.
 
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2rescuekitties

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Thank you all for your input! maybe this weekend I will take some time to try a few brands I have no tried yet like the Tiki cat and Weruva and see if they like it!

*** and its the Fancy Feast Medley's that they like so much lol

I just want to make sure they are with me for a long long time :)
 

duckpond

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Thank you all for your input! maybe this weekend I will take some time to try a few brands I have no tried yet like the Tiki cat and Weruva and see if they like it!

*** and its the Fancy Feast Medley's that they like so much lol

I just want to make sure they are with me for a long long time :)
I dont have a problem with most fancy feast. Honestly i don't feed the medleys. I am not a fan of spinach in cat food. Some may not have a problem with it. but cats have so many urinary problems i am afraid of spinach. people who are prone to stones are normally told to stay away from of it. It is very high in oxalate . so i am afraid to feed it to my cats. I have read that cooking destroys much of the oxalate, im still afraid of it so i avoid it. may just be me :)
 

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Hi - In case you haven't seen this, here's a database so that you can review some of the additives et al to look out for and which brands they're in (this was last updated Nov 2017 so reading the ingredient lists is still a requirement for us cat owners) but it'll provide a beginning point.
A note, it doesn't call out menadione which is something I'm on the lookout for, and is in Purina's products, but it was the Big Guy's only favorite food for a long time. (we're working on that ;) )
Pet Food Guide
 

TNR

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I’ve spent the extra money on tiki cat they didn’t seem to go crazy over it. I get them canned sardines in water not oil,once a week.But most of the time it’s what ever is on sale.
 
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2rescuekitties

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I dont have a problem with most fancy feast. Honestly i don't feed the medleys. I am not a fan of spinach in cat food. Some may not have a problem with it. but cats have so many urinary problems i am afraid of spinach. people who are prone to stones are normally told to stay away from of it. It is very high in oxalate . so i am afraid to feed it to my cats. I have read that cooking destroys much of the oxalate, im still afraid of it so i avoid it. may just be me :)
I had no clue about spinach that's very interesting. Well we are almost done with those cans so I won't buy anymore after they finish the few cans that are left. Also another problem is sometimes they love the chunky ones and then other times they want the pate so its so hard to guess what they want and I waste so much food :frustrated:
 
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2rescuekitties

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Hi - In case you haven't seen this, here's a database so that you can review some of the additives et al to look out for and which brands they're in (this was last updated Nov 2017 so reading the ingredient lists is still a requirement for us cat owners) but it'll provide a beginning point.
A note, it doesn't call out menadione which is something I'm on the lookout for, and is in Purina's products, but it was the Big Guy's only favorite food for a long time. (we're working on that ;) )
Pet Food Guide
Thank you I will read this today so I can at least have an idea who knew cats are so picky :eviltongue: when I had a dog she loved everything and anything and was always thankful if we gave her table scraps sometimes too...But these cats eat better than me and still are sooooo picky :cringe::cringe::bawling:
 

Furballsmom

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You probably do this, but you can hang on to the cans they're not 'currently' interested in for later and rotate them back when it looks like their tastebuds have swung around again, or if you're ordering online you could look into a couple websites that allow for small quantities rather than full cases. I think you're doing an awesome job for your furbabies!
Only Natural Pet
Lambert Vet Supply
 
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duckpond

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I had no clue about spinach that's very interesting. Well we are almost done with those cans so I won't buy anymore after they finish the few cans that are left. Also another problem is sometimes they love the chunky ones and then other times they want the pate so its so hard to guess what they want and I waste so much food :frustrated:
my cats have me well trained. They sit and stare at the food, until i open the can of what they want :( i waste food too, lucky outside cats and raccoons . I have found that if i crumble some pure bites on top of what i put out they are more likely to eat what ever it is. So i keep the pure bites stocked up :)
 

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I feed Fancy feast classics sometimes. Some of the other formulas are really carby. I feel like the classics are the best choice health wise as there are some weird ones with milk and cheese bits added. My cats also just lick the gravy off of anything that isn't pate.
 

jen

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So what I am wondering is one time someone told me that even the worst brand of wet cat food is healthier than the best quality dry food...

Is that true? My cats like dry kibble a lot, and I have tried so many of the expensive good quality wet foods but they pick at it. I know fancy feast has filler and by products but is it okay to feed them with that since they eat it? I don't know why but they go crazy for the gross gravy ones and even the shredded "meat" in it looks fake and I hate that they pick that over Instinct or wellness etc.

So my question is that is it okay to feed them a cheaper wet food if they prefer it? ir should I stick to the high quality dry food instead? (I currently feed them Nature's Instinct High protein dry food with the freeze dried chicken bits).
I think it is fine!! Also Fancy Feast classics and I BELIEVE Friskies Classics as well are carb free or very very low carb which is EXCELLENT. I would rather them eat that and get some by-products (cats don't care, they eat the whole bird/mouse, whatever in the wild) then eat carbs and grains.
 

lisahe

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I think it is fine!! Also Fancy Feast classics and I BELIEVE Friskies Classics as well are carb free or very very low carb which is EXCELLENT. I would rather them eat that and get some by-products (cats don't care, they eat the whole bird/mouse, whatever in the wild) then eat carbs and grains.
Yes, Fancy Feast Classics are pretty low-carb and totally veg- and grain-free. Friskies pates do have some rice but are still pretty low-carb according to Dr. Pierson's chart. I totally agree about byproducts: lots of them are very nutritious for cats!

I feed Fancy feast classics sometimes. Some of the other formulas are really carby. I feel like the classics are the best choice health wise as there are some weird ones with milk and cheese bits added. My cats also just lick the gravy off of anything that isn't pate.
Yes, some of those other Fancy Feast foods are very carby! Many of them are loaded with wheat gluten, something cats definitely don't need. Byproducts are a much better choice!

My biggest concerns about Fancy Feast are the more chemically ingredients, like sodium nitrite (I'm not sure if that's dangerous for cats) and menadione sodium bisulfite (vitamin K source that I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with) but I do feed an occasional can of FF because even our pickier cat loves it. I horrified a saleswoman in a local pet food store when I told her last week that I feed occasional Fancy Feast Classics and prefer that over, say, something from Weruva that has fillers and thickeners like potato, peas, or chickpeas. Pretty much any commercial cat food has some ingredient or other that I or some other human from cat catering doesn't like feeding but I already know that our cats don't do well with carby vegetables -- one even vomits after eating potato -- which means I'd definitely choose Fancy Feast over, say, Ziwipeak's beef food that costs more than $2 for a three-ounce can but contains chickpeas.
 
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2rescuekitties

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Thank you guys for all your help! :) I feel a lot better now knowing that it's not that bad especially the classic ones! :)
There's just so many different types of foods out there to choose from!
 

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If you have an old cat, 10 years or older, be aware that many varieties of Fancy Feast are high in phosphorus. This is otherwise not a problem.
 
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